²⁰ “Again, when a righteous person turns^(A) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block^(B) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^(C)

²⁴ “But if a righteous person turns^(A) from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness^(B) they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.^(C)

¹² “Therefore, son of man, say to your people,^(A) ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’^{(B) 13} If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done.^(C)

¹⁸ When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,^(A)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^(B)

³⁸ And,

¹⁸ For they mouth empty, boastful words^(A) and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping^(B) from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”^{(C) 20} If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing^(D) our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ^(E) and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.^{(F) 21} It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.^{(G) 22} Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”^[a](H) and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

²⁶ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die.

¹⁹ They went out from us,^(A) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.^(B)